I published my first book last month. To be honest I started writing it about two years ago. I opened my laptop, started typing text into a Google doc, and then I closed my laptop and didn’t touch it for another 18 months.
Then I made some lifestyle changes and the book was up and available on Amazon within a few months! So what did I change to finally get it DONE and published?
I’ll share with you the experience of writing my book, and maybe you can apply it to something you are working on.
5 SIMPLE WAYS TO GET THINGS DONE:
1. START
A LOT of people say they want to do things. “I want to write a book.” “I want to write a screenplay.” “I want to get a dog.” Stop talking and start doing. (And if you get a dog, may I suggest to adopt from a rescue?). 🙂 My husband and I did earlier this year and it was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. JIMMY! I love you.
As mentioned in the beginning, I started my book and then stopped for a while, so another key is to keep going (obviously). How to keep going? Keep reading below.
2. HAVE CONFIDENCE
Have a clear, confident vision of the end goal. I was indecisive about a lot of things around the time I initially started writing my book. I was indecisive about my career pivot. I was indecisive about how I wanted to re-brand myself. I was indecisive of whether I wanted to offer the book in hardback or not. Indecisiveness is the root cause of feeling stuck. I saw an intuitive life coach and she told me that everything will happen fast with my career pivot – I just had to make some DECISIONS, and the reason I was hesitant/moving slow was because I was lacking confidence. Once I made some (kinda scary) decisions, I gained more clarity, and clarity = confidence.
3. FOCUS
We all have a lot of hobbies and ideas. Choose one and stick with it until it’s done. Due to Covid-19, LA shut down mid-March. The events industry completely disappeared and there were no photography gigs for me in the foreseeable future. I had time, so I had no excuse. My goal during the pandemic? Finish my book and get it published. It’s the one thing I worked on and that’s how I was able to get it out quickly. Now as I’m typing this, California is still shut down, and I actually have time to start my second book!
4. ORGANIZE
These sticky notes were the beginning process of organizing my book contents. I hired an editor and someone to help me upload the book to Amazon. Efficiency is key for speed. I thought, “What will get me to my end goal quickest while maintaining thoughtfulness, integrity, and quality?”
5. PEER GROUP
Hang out with other people who get stuff done. This actually works! Right before the pandemic started I linked back up with some friends I met at a conference years ago. They’re all high-achiever types. I already thought I did things relatively quickly, but when I hang out with them, I feel like a fucking snail. “You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with,” and therefore, I prefer to be the least excelling one of the bunch so that I learn and improve myself in the areas I want.
If you find yourself wanting to get more done, which of these areas do you need to change or improve? Let me know in the comments below!